The deal between the mega-star and world's largest luxury group is likely to be a watershed moment for both fashion and Hollywood.

Rihanna at the Fenty Beauty by Rihanna One-Year Anniversary Celebration in New York in September 2018.

Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock

RiRi is poised to be the next LV of lust-worthy monograms.

Friday’s announcement that LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton will launch a new Paris-based Fenty maison “centered on Rihanna, developed by her, and taking shape with her vision in terms of ready-to-wear, shoes and accessories, including commerciality and communication of the brand” marks the first time the luxury conglomerate has launched a fashion brand from scratch since it set a couture house for Christian Lacroix in 1987. Only this time, it’s with a celebrity — who will also be the first black woman to head an LVMH brand — and the development could change the future of Hollywood dealmaking in the fashion space.

“Instead of having celebrity faces like Natalie Portman at Dior or Nicole Kidman at Chanel, it’s now about how a celebrity can own a brand,” said Stacy Jones, chief executive officer of entertainment marketing firm Hollywood Branded Inc., who credits the groundbreaking LVMH deal on Rihanna’s demonstrated success as a singer, actress and marketer who is able to move Fenty beauty products with an Instagram post. She also touted the legacy of the Kardashians and celebrity-businessmen including George Clooney, whose tequila company Casamigos sold for $1 billion last year (which in turn sparked a slew of other actors, including Ryan Reynolds, jumping into the alcohol sector).

Rihanna on the runway at Fenty Puma by Rihanna Spring 2018 in New York.
REX/Shutterstock

“In the past, celebs have become brand ambassadors, and they have had partnerships that involved this many days of PR, event attendances, this many photo shoots, video shoots and usage rights. The celeb didn’t really participate in the creative process,” said Jones. “But with the advent of social media, people started seeing they could take more control, because they could start seeing the impact they were having on the brand.

Proving the power of the pop star’s following, only hours after LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton officially confirmed the establishment of her new Paris-based fashion house, more than 150,000 joined the brand’s Instagram account, which has no posts yet. As of Sunday afternoon, the following swelled to 240,000.

To be sure, the project significantly raises the bar for celebrity-led fashion brands, given LVMH’s mighty finances, access to prime retail space, expertise across an array of luxury goods, and penchant for directly controlling production and distribution.

And Rihanna gives LVMH access to a new demographic, said Jones. “Luxury conglomerates are having major issues reaching Millennials…This new luxury brand will allow them to open the floodgates to Millennial customers.”

But it’s not every talent who can command such a deal, which some insiders are comparing to Beyoncé’s recently revealed partnership with Adidas, which allows her to retain full ownership and control of her Ivy Park brand, which will be relaunched by the athletic wear giant.

“This paves the way for other people, sure,” said Victoria Brynner, founder of L.A.-based consultancy Stardust Brands, which connects fashion and luxury brands with talent. “But people who warrant a big investment from a brand like LVMH, there are not hundreds of them. It has to be someone who has shown their sustainability. Someone like Selena Gomez, she did a capsule with Coach and investors see that she has 100 million Instagram followers. But is it in her wheelhouse to have a music career and focus on a full brand? Rihanna has shown her capability to do it all with beauty and her capsule [fashion] collections and she has music, and acts. It’s the house with the remodeled kitchen and bathrooms, it has everything in it and it’s less risky.”

Lady Gaga is another multi-talent whose influence is big enough to translate into a brand in the the fashion space, insiders suggest, though future deals will depend on the success of the Rihanna one.

“These are deals for the most influential women in the world, and the market is just opening up to realize the value of partnering with women who have more influence than the brands themselves do,” said Christian Carino, a talent agent at Creative Artists Agency, which represents Beyoncé, Johnny Depp and Margot Robbie, among others. “This level of partnership requires brands to give up control they normally wouldn’t give up to anyone. You’re not telling these women what to do, which is amazing.”

According to the LVMH announcement, the new Fenty collection will debut for spring 2019. It is understood the products will become available for sale later this month, mainly via digital channels. The statement included a web domain — http://www.fenty.com — and revealed a two-part logo with Fenty spelled out in a maze-like block or with with a backwards N.

A post shared by badgalriri (@badgalriri) on May 10, 2019 at 6:22am PDT

On her @Badgirlriri Instagram account Friday, the singer ran a photo of herself next to the logo, declaring it “a big day for the culture. Thank you Mr. Arnault for believing in this little girl from the left side of an island, and for giving me this opportunity to grow with you at @LVMH. This is proof that nothing is impossible. Glory be to God.”

She also pointed out that she is the first woman of color at the helm of an LVMH maison.

Rihanna boasts more than 70 million followers on Instagram, and is expected to release new music some time this year. A Hollywood multihyphenate, she is also an actress, who appeared in last year’s “Ocean’s Eight.”

“Everybody knows Rihanna as a wonderful singer, but through our partnership at Fenty Beauty, I discovered a true entrepreneur, a real ceo and a terrific leader. She naturally finds her full place within LVMH. To support Rihanna to start up the Fenty Maison, we have built a talented and multicultural team supported by the group resources. I am proud that LVMH is leading this venture and wish it will be a great success,” said Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive officer of LVMH.

For her part, Rihanna said, “Designing a line like this with LVMH is an incredibly special moment for us. Mr. Arnault has given me a unique opportunity to develop a fashion house in the luxury sector, with no artistic limits. I couldn’t imagine a better partner both creatively and business-wise, and I’m ready for the world to see what we have built together.”

Sources told WWD Rihanna has been extremely hands-on with the new Fenty project, working closely with teams in London and in Paris.

Court documents dated at the end of 2018 list LVMH’s chief strategy officer and executive board member Jean-Baptiste Voisin as president of Loud, a position that is valid for three years. According to sources, the final management configuration has yet to be decided.

Company statutes suggest a broad range of possible merchandise for the new label, with a detailed list including clothing and accessories for men, women and children, as well as tableware, objects for the house and garden, as well as sports and high-tech goods, jewelry and watches made of precious metals.

Rihanna’s relationship with LVMH stretches back to at least 2015. After attending shows for Christian Dior, one of Arnault’s most treasured fashion properties, she appeared in “Secret Garden IV,” a campaign and short film shot by Steven Klein inside Versailles. It featured her in Dior sunglasses, carrying the brand’s bags and wearing looks from the Esprit Dior collection.

Rihanna has demonstrated a serious interest in, and influence on, fashion — along with formidable design chops and acute instincts — with her tenure as the creative director of Puma, energizing the German activewear brand with her Fenty by Puma project, and following it up with successful forays into beauty and lingerie — the former with LVMH-controlled Kendo; the latter with California-based TechStyle Fashion Group.

Kendo, which functions as an incubator making products that end up being retailed by LVMH’s Sephora beauty chain and other outposts, signed Rihanna in 2016. Racking up sales north of $100 million in a matter of weeks, Fenty Beauty was hailed as a transformative brand. It generated revenues of about 500 million euros last year, LVMH said during a recent conference call.

Rihanna’s talent, charisma and beauty have made her a favorite of fashion designers worldwide. The Barbados native has previously modeled for Gucci, Emporio Armani and Balmain, and has made Internet-breaking red carpet appearances in Adam Selman’s nearly nude crystal dress at the 2014 CFDA awards, in an egg-yolk colored Guo Pei cape at the 2015 Met Gala, and a daring Comme des Garçons look at the 2017 Met Gala, always with the guidance of longtime stylist Mel Ottenberg.

Through collaborations, she has already worked across several fashion categories. In 2011, Rihanna teamed with Emporio Armani Underwear and Armani Jeans to create a capsule collection of T-shirts, biker jackets, denim and lingerie. In 2013, she presented her first women’s collection for British high-street retailer River Island, collaborating with American designer Selman. “Launching at London Fashion Week is a dream come true for me,” she told WWD at the time. In 2017, she collaborated with Chopard on a luxury jewelry collection she flaunted on red carpets around the world.

For LVMH — whose forte is modernizing legacy brands like Dior, Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, Bulgari and Dom Pérignon — the Rihanna line signals a further move outside its comfort zone as it continues to diversify its holdings. It recently invested $2.6 billion in luxury travel operator Belmond Ltd., owner of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express train and hotels including the Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro.

Social Studies

You might not know who Beanie Feldstein is now, but the breakout star is poised to be a name synonymous with comedy. ⁣⁣
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Beanie stars in @OliviaWilde's directorial debut "Booksmart," opening today. The film has been dubbed the female "Superbad" — which is somewhat ironic since Beanie is actor Jonah Hill's younger sister. ⁣⁣
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“She is sort of like Paris Geller meets Lisa Simpson with a little bit of Sandra Bullock in ‘Miss Congeniality.’ I liked the idea of showing that a girl can be silly and loose with her friends and also be really intense and kind of biting at school,” Beanie said of her character, Molly.⁣ ⁣
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The actress also said that Wilde’s take on the story is “fresh and honest” and she was “whip-smart” in her directorial debut.⁣
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Tap the link in bio for more. ⁣⁣
Report: @leighen⁣
📸: @jgreenery
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#wwdeye
#booksmart
#beaniefeldstein

It looks like Kris isn't the only momager in the Kardashian-Jenner family. ⁣
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Kim Kardashian is setting up son Psalm West for success in the fashion, beauty and home sectors — at the ripe old age of two weeks. ⁣
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On May 18, Kardashian filed a trademark for her son for “Psalm West” under her company, Kimsaprincess, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. ⁣
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Now all of the West children have trademarks filed under their names. ⁣
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Tap the link in bio for more. ⁣
Report: @laylailchi
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#wwdfashion⁣
#kimkardashian⁣
#psalmwest

Natalie Portman, Uma Thurman, Kate Moss, and Roger Federer at the Moët & Chandon in France. ⁣
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The intimate dinner celebrated the 150th anniversary of its Brut Imperial blend, at its just-reopened Château de Saran overlooking the vineyards of the Champagne region in the east of France.⁣
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There were fireworks, towering pyramids of Champagne glasses — plus vines and VIPs as far as the eye could see. ⁣
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Tap the link in bio for more. ⁣
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Report: @fleurfleurette
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#wwdeye
#moetchandon

Shailene Woodley has no desire to keep up with the superficial standards of Hollywood.⁣
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“If you look at Hollywood — and I’m no saint in this regard — but every single time somebody gets a little bit more famous, they get a little bit thinner, and they get a little bit blonder, and they get a little bit more defined in their face,” Woodley says. ⁣
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“There’s sort of this sense of machinery that can happen to people in the limelight, and I was very fortunate also at a young age to work with so many incredible, strong women who were already a little rebellious in their own ways against the machinery that can be this industry.” ⁣
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Tap the link in bio for more.⁣
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Report: @leighen ⁣⁣
Styling: @thealexbadia⁣
📸: @ninebagatelles⁣
Production: @jgreenery⁣
Beauty: @keithcarpenterhair & @tyronmachhausen ⁣
Market: @andrew_shang & @elmercer⁣

The Prada Group is going fur-free. ⁣
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The company will no longer use animal fur in its designs or new products, starting from the spring/summer 2020 women’s collections. ⁣
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Creative director Miuccia Prada explained that the company “is committed to innovation and social responsibility,” and that its fur-free policy “is an extension of that engagement.”⁣
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Tap the link in bio for more.⁣
Report: @luisazargani
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#wwdfashion⁣
#prada⁣
#furfree

Soccer superstar Lionel Messi is launching an apparel collection. ⁣
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The Argentine athlete, who captains both FC Barcelona and the Argentina national team, has partnered with MGO, a brand portfolio company whose chief creative officer is Tommy Hilfiger’s sister, Ginny Hilfiger, to create Messi.⁣
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The premium lifestyle brand with “a sporty edge” will be primarily men’s wear but will include a few women’s tops as well, according to Hilfiger.⁣
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Hilfiger said despite his fame and wealth, Messi “is a really humble, generous and kind person and a great role model. He has been involved since we started talking to the Messi family two-and-a-half years ago when we presented the idea to them. ⁣
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Tap the link in bio for more. ⁣
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Report:⁣ @jeanpalmieri
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#wwdfashion⁣
#LionelMessi ⁣
#FCBarcelona⁣
#mgo⁣
#GinnyHilfiger

Once upon a time in Cannes, @ellefanning had another major red carpet-moment in @Dior.
Tap the link in bio to read what growing up in Hollywood was like for the youngest-ever jury member at Cannes.
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#wwdfashion
#ellefanning
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#onceuponatimeinhollywood

Shailene Woodley is an all-in or not-at-all kind of woman — leading her to get the reputation as the hippie of Hollywood. ⁣
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She views her experience of “breaking out,” if you will, as a kind of shepherding by older, wiser female costars along the way, women she says helped her steel herself against the superficial demands of the industry. ⁣
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One of those women, @reesewitherspoon, spoke to us about Woodley's inspiring performance on "Big Little Lies." “Her portrayal of a woman who is both a survivor of sexual assault and a single mother raising her child alone in a new community is one of the most truthful performances I’ve ever seen. There is a scene in episode two of this season where Jane explains her assault to Ziggy that moves me to tears every time I see it," Witherspoon said. ⁣
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Woodley's acting choices have earned her a reputation for being a talented and utterly professional one to watch, but it’s her candid, unabashed activism in real-life that people are taking notice of. ⁣
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“I think it’s very easy for all of us to be comfortable in our bubbles and to be comfortable in the lives of privilege that a lot of us live, to be comfortable in our own space, in our own opinions, in our own forms of what we think is right or wrong, black and white, justice and non-justice — but ultimately until every single person on this planet feels like they are treated like a proper human being, I’m not going to stop because more than anything, I’m just somebody who deeply feels,” Woodley said.
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Tap the link in bio for more. ⁣
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Report: @leighen ⁣
Styling: @thealexbadia
📸: @ninebagatelles